Macs Are Great!

This year I received a Canon SX230 HS as a birthday gift from DH. Yesterday we took it out on a hike through world famous Palm Canyon in Palm Springs, CA. I was stunned at the superb job this camera does at finding optimum white balance and exposure settings. Standing among mixed spots of deep shade and Noon sun on white sand in the bottom of the canyon the camera still did a superb job of showing the colors in shaded tree trunks. I have never before used a camera that does such a fantastic job of capturing subtle grades of light between extreme levels of brightness and shade.

The GPS function is a joy to use also. At one point when we were hiking through a narrow canyon passage with limited view of the sky I had to change the battery, this camera will eat batteries like candy whenever the GPS is on, after I had changed the battery the camera was not able to get a position fix right away because of the narrow canyon walls. As soon as we could see a more normal arc of the sky the camera did quickly acquire a position fix. I was carrying a GPS datalogger as a backup in case the GPS function in the camera failed to satisfy, but it was not required.

The other thing that impressed me with this camera was the optical performance of the lens, features are great, but in the end if a camera does not take good photos there is no use having it. The lens in the Canon SX230 HS is the best I have ever seen in a pocket sized camera, and it has a 14X optical zoom to boot. I was using it yesterday on our hike and it did not disappoint. Judge for yourself.

For size comparison I took a photo of the SX230 HS next to my also very nice Canon SX 110IS.

I’m pleased beyond my expectations with this camera. If you buy one get one or two extra batteries. It uses the existing Canon NB-5L battery and I already had a few for use with my Canon SD950.

PROS:

• Built in GPS!
• Surprisingly sharp lens
• Astoundingly clever white balance/exposure
• 14X optical zoom
• Fits in a jeans pocket

CONS:

• Eats batteries like candy
• Costs about $350

RATING:

You can see the entire set of test photos on my accounts at SmugMug, Flickr, Picasaweb or on this server at Steve’s Photos.

written by Steve Rider